The elevator
by reronettie
Summary: Elizabeth tries to get Franco to remember exactly who he is. A one-shot.


The elevator-

Two weeks three days and about 6 hours had passed since Franco awoke without any memory of who he was. He still believed he was Andrew Cain. It was heartbreaking to witness. Elizabeth hadn't yet figured out how to reach her husband. Her children wanted their dad back, and she wanted him back too. Every morning she opened her eyes, and she reached her hand across the cold, empty bed in agony. She was barely managing to get through each day. She tried her best not to let the boys see her crying. Aiden asked if he could visit his stepfather so many times that Elizabeth didn't know how much longer she could put it off. Aiden might not be Franco's biological son, but he'd been there in a way Lucky never would be.

The worst part was that the procedure was completely reversible, but Dr. Maddox wouldn't do it unless Franco agreed. At the moment, he was content to stay Drew. He believed all of Franco's crimes outweighed Elizabeth's desire to have her husband back. He seemed concerned about her and the boys, but he wouldn't give up his identity. In his mind, Andrew was a person who deserved to be alive just as much as Franco. Liz didn't think he was wrong.

Elizabeth only hoped that someday she could convince him, and she would wait patiently until that day. She'd never felt this way about anyone in her life. Over the years, she believed many men were the one. Ric, Lucky, Nik, even Jason had made her think that they cared for her, only to fail her in some way. She came to realize that Franco Baldwin was her real soulmate. He chose to be a father to her children when he had no obligation, and he loved her unequivocally. She would wait for the rest of her life if necessary, and she would fight for her husband.

She pressed the button for the elevator at GH determined to lose herself in her work for a few hours. After what felt like a long time, the doors opened. She was focused on her phone as she stepped inside and crashed into someone. She looked up into the handsome face of Franco Baldwin. However, it was twisted and wrong. It didn't give her a million-watt smile that showed her in a single expression how much he loved her. It was flat and blank and serious. So utterly un-Franco.

"Sorry." Elizabeth managed her heart, thundering in her chest. She wanted to run back out, but the doors quickly closed.

"It's OK." The voice which wasn't quite Franco's said. "How are you and the boys doing?" The words were surprisingly kind. She resisted the urge to sniff him because she feared he wouldn't smell right. She had been sleeping in one of his unwashed shirts, desperate to keep his scent on her.

"A little better..." Her voice sounded weak. "They miss y... I mean, they miss Franco. Aiden especially misses him. He's been having nightmares." She started. The man who now called himself Drew stared at her. "His real dad hasn't been around much, and Aiden is taking this hard."

"I never want to hurt your son." The fake Drew promised. "And I hope you know I would never intentionally hurt you." Elizabeth's heart nearly stopped. That was something Franco always said to her. She couldn't shake it. At that moment, she was impulsive and crazy. The idea was something her husband would do. It wasn't something Elizabeth Webber would generally try. She knew it might get her in trouble or push him further away, but she wanted to attempt it. She would cross the line if it brought Franco back to her.

Elizabeth walked across the space to the elevator control panel and hit the emergency stop button. Drew widened his eyes in shock. There was fear on his face. She pulled off the top of her scrubs, leaving her undershirt on, then she used the shirt to cover the camera as he had once done.

"Don't ever say those words to me again." She half begged.

"What's the problem? Did I upset you somehow?" He screamed. She remembered how afraid she had been on the reverse side of this. She hoped fear might jog his memories.

"I did this because I needed to talk to you where you couldn't run away." She snapped. "This elevator is the first place I ever admitted my feelings for Franco. It has a weird sentiment."

"I should call security." He growled.

"But you aren't going to, because somewhere deep inside you know that you love me. He is the only person who ever promised not to hurt me intentionally. He is the only one who ever really put me first. So what you said is crap, because if you don't want to cause me pain, you will let my husband have his body back!"

"Elizabeth, come on, you need to let me out of here. I understand this is hard, but Franco is gone." Not-Franco said, but something in his demeanor was changing.

"You ok?" She asked as his expression looked slightly bewildered.

"Did this happen before?" She grinned widely at the question.

"Not to Drew Cain." She said matter of fact. He stared at her eyes widening.

"You were avoiding Franco," Drew remembered. "So he trapped you in the elevator for a chat."

"Yes." Her heart had never pounded so hard. He did remember, maybe only subconsciously but he remembered.

"Just because I remember this doesn't mean I'm Franco." He shut down immediately.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you, but for a second I saw my husband." Her voice was shaking. She started to press the button again. The elevator shuttered, and Liz lost her balance. Instinct kicked in, and Franco caught her. She didn't fall clear to the floor; her head landed against his chest, and his hands went to her hips to steady her. Their eyes locked, and they leaned into each other heads aiming toward kissing. At that moment he turned away and grabbed his head with a grimace.

"Are you OK?" she finally asked after she pulled away to remove her scrub top from the camera.

"I'm here for a consultation with a neurologist. I've been having headaches; they want to check me out again." He admitted. Elizabeth was extremely concerned.

"You, well Franco, already had brain surgery before this. The doctors have concerns about the scar tissue. It might cause issues with the mapping process. This could be bad, would you mind if I go with you?" She tried to sound as casual as she could with her racing heart. He thought hard for a moment. "I know you don't want me there, but that's my husband's body, and I want to know that he is alright."

"It might be nice to have a friend." He explained, but his eyes went to the floor. Elizabeth couldn't seem to shake the feeling from a few moments before. She was surer than ever that Franco was still in there, but all this stress on his brain couldn't be good. Her husband was trapped, waiting for Drew to release him. "But I don't think that's a great idea." He added

"Let me know what happens at least. Even if you aren't my husband, we can still be friends." She said. The elevator had stopped on her floor. She didn't want to leave him but forced herself to step out. Just as she turned to step away, his left hand grabbed her. He spun her around and pulled her into a full-blown kiss. It was amazing. All the mind-blowing chemistry they had always shared exploded. She was sure sparks could be seen in the air. As he pulled away, he looked at her with utter confusion.

"Why did I do that?" Drew asked blankly.

"Because he promised he would be back, and my husband is a fighter, he intends to keep his promise." She said, and she strolled from the elevator, suddenly hopeful for the first time in nearly 3 weeks. 


End file.
